Herbert Stachowiak - Collected Quotes

"All the model-boundedness of human encounter with the world as well as the interhuman communication is equally involved already in the modeling character of the perception process. […] The modeling character of perception forms is also not changed by the circumstance that the access to the original-side, i.e. to the properties of signal constellations from the external world, it is only always possible via the building of internal models of the external world." (Herbert Stachowiak, "Allgemeine Modelltheorie", 1973)

"Models are models of something, namely, [they are] reflections, representations of natural and artificial originals, that can themselves be models again. […] Models, in general, do not cover all the attributes of the originals they are representing, but only those [attributes] that seem relevant to the actual model creators and/or model users." (Herbert Stachowiak, "Allgemeine Modelltheorie", 1973)

"Models are not assigned per se uniquely to their originals. They perform their replacement function: a) for definite – cognitive and/or handling, model-using – subjects, b) within definite time intervals, c) under restrictions of definite operations of thought or fact. […] Models are not only models of something. They are also models for somebody, a human or an artificial model user. They perform thereby their functions in time, within a time interval. And finally, they are models for a definite purpose." (Herbert Stachowiak, "Allgemeine Modelltheorie", 1973)

"The advantage of this way of proceeding is evident: insights and skills obtained on the model-side can be - certain transference criteria satisfied - transferred to the original, [in this way] the model-builder obtains a new knowledge about the modeled original […]" (Herbert Stachowiak, "Allgemeine Modelltheorie", 1973)

"The model-based concept of cognition takes the representation/reflection idea of the classical theory of cognition, but relativizes it in the sense of the pragmatic decision. Accordingly, all of cognition is cognition in models or by means of models, and in general, any human encounter with the world needs a ‘model’ as the mediator: focusing on – active or passive – comprehension of something, it [cognition] proceeds relative to certain subjects, further selective – intentionally selecting and centering – and depending on the temporal restriction of its relation to the original." (Herbert Stachowiak, "Allgemeine Modelltheorie", 1973)